As you have gathered from last week’s article, I purchase mainstream superhero comics almost exclusively. I know there are really good and interesting comics coming from other companies, the indie scene and even DC’s own Vertigo line of comics. While those comics may be of higher quality and less trope-y than the mainstream fair from Marvel and DC, I can tell you for a fact that I would not enjoy them as much. I’m going to tell you why right here, so strap yourself in. Fair warning, it’s probably going to get a little personal and very hokey.
To go ahead and get this out of the way, yes, the action, the art, the bright and contrasting colors and the stories are a big part of why these comics appeal to me. However, here I am discussing more of the metaphorical and the philosophical as opposed to the technical and raw artistic aspects.
I am an idealist, not an optimist. I believe that every person has the potential to be good, so everyone should be given a chance to do that. Yes, I’m a starry-eyed fool who thinks that’s possible. Sue me. I think that every person should pursue their dreams, even if they seem unlikely. I think people should strive to be their best selves. I also believe that the world can be a better place, so we should never stop trying to make it so. I think a big part of that is to tell stories of people who are trying to be good and are trying to make the world a better place.
Art influences people. That’s the one of the wonderful and sometimes terrifying things about it. You raise an entire generation with "Harry Potter," and you’re going to have a lot of people who believe they can do anything they set their mind to, sympathize with people who have a troubled home life, value intelligence, and think they're special. That last quality isn’t a bad one, by the way, and I’m not a fan of the cynicism and bitterness that led a lot of people to think that it is. You are a precious snowflake, dammit, and you should never think otherwise.
I might be getting a bit off-track here. The point I was leading up to is that we should never stop telling stories about heroes. Whether that hero be impossibly good and idealistic like the Captain Americas, Superman, Ms. Marvel and the Flash, trying to overcome a troubled past like Batman, Luke Cage and Wolverine, complex and maybe even a bit morally ambiguous at times like Black Panther, Black Widow and Hawkman, they’re deeply flawed and trying to overcome their inner demons like the Daredevil, the Hulk and the Winter Soldier, they genuinely enjoy it and are upbeat about it like Nightwing, Spider-Man and Star-Lord, or maybe even a little bad at it but never stops trying like Green Arrow, Ant-Man and Hawkeye, people should never stop believing in heroes. People should never stop believing that they themselves have the potential to be heroes. Yes, this world can be a dark, horrific and shitty place. Humanity is capable of doing some horrific stuff. We can make it through this though. Good people can rise above the bad, help each other out, and contribute to making this world a little less dark, even if it’s only for a few people, even if it’s only for a little while. This is the only world we have right now; why not try to make it better?
Heroes can make us believe in ourselves enough to do that kind of thing, and different types of heroes can do different things for us. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson make me believe anyone can be as good as Captain America. Luke Cage makes me believe that I can rise above the trouble in my life. Nightwing makes my day a little brighter with his wit and charm. The Winter Soldier lets me know I’m not alone when I’m in my dark places. Captain Marvel shows me that, with determination, anything can be done. Hawkman and Agent Venom give me a surrogate that vents my frustrations for me. The Avengers and the Justice League show the power of companions and united people. The X-Men show me that the dejected can find friendship in one another. With the increased diversity in comics with characters like Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales the Ultimate Spider-Man, Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, and, as already mentioned, Sam Wilson as Captain America, more people get to feel this, and I think that’s a really good thing.
When I’m happy, I turn to superhero comics. When I’m down, I turn to superhero comics. I get that all this sounds so corny and cheesy and hokey, but sometimes reality can be corny and cheesy and hokey. These are characters that don’t accept reality as it is and change it for the better, and I choose to believe that everyone, myself included, can do the same. I want to do in my own way by contributing my own stories of heroism and overcoming adversity through my writing. We, as human beings, need stories like that. Otherwise, we just stop trying.
I understand that the literary canon would become stale if that’s all we had. I enjoy stories about bad people like "Pulp Fiction" and stories with less-than-positive endings like"Sicario"as much as the next guy, but I don’t think we should abandon the hero narrative. I understand we live in the age of the antihero, and it has thoroughly permeated our movies, television and literature. Heck, some of the people I listed above could be qualified as antiheroes. I mean, Magneto, Sinestro, Black Adam and the Punisher are among my favorite comic book characters, so I can get down with the antihero type. That being said, I feel that the antihero should represent that flawed and “ordinary” people can do extraordinary things too. With characters like Magneto and Black Adam, the antihero represents when our passions outrace our ability to sympathize. Antihero narratives shouldn’t only be represented by somewhat shitty people killing shittier people. I’m looking at you, Deadpool.
All of this being said, I really dig the villains too, and they obviously have a place in the hero narrative beyond just being the person the hero beats up. You have the villains that are driven by simple greed like most of Spider-Man’s rogues, you have ones whose inner demons have completely consumed them Black Manta and the Joker, there are the men and women driven by ambition like Deathstroke and Baron Zemo, some have truly good intentions and force us to consider what we would do in their position like Black Adam, Mister Freeze and Magneto, and then some seem to represent the chaotic identity of the forces of nature and the cosmos themselves like Apocalypse and Thanos. Villains can be sympathetic, or they can be so far removed from our frame of reference that it’s absolutely horrifying. Sometimes they represent parts of the hero that they would rather keep hidden like Sabretooth does for Wolverine. The rogues are just as important as the heroes because they show us what we could be if we let the world consume us. Most villains have given up in some way. Magneto has given up on peace. Joker has given up restraint. Sabretooth has given in to his animalistic nature. The world is nothing but villains if there are no heroes.
Obviously character complexity is an important part of this. Of course it makes for a better story with more compelling characters. However, it also branches the real and the fictional. Most heroes aren’t near-perfect, and no one in reality is as close to perfection as Steve Rogers and Kal-El. The complexity shown by characters such as Luke Cage, Captain Marvel and Green Arrow and the self-doubt had by Spider-Man, Cyborg and Daredevil show us that real people can do good. We can be better.
Like I said though, there is a place for the Supermen, the Captain Americas, the Wonder Women and the Flashes. It gives us something to aspire to be. These guys and gals are those unobtainable goals that keep us trying our whole lives. Human beings are eternal works in progress, and heroes like these can give us an endpoint.
As for the “comic book” end of this, I love that comic books constantly show you the hero in front of your eyes. You can see them. You know what they look like, and that look is often iconic. I think that is important psychologically for myself and others. Sure, movies and television can do this too, but there is something about being able to hold it in your hand. Plus, you can take them anywhere. You can take your heroes with you. There’s something magical about that.
